lunchbox

Out of the box

Ideas on how to spruce up school lunch.

By

(September 2017)

food paint Noshi
Will this replace syrup for pancakes or honey for yogurt? Maybe. But squeezing a tube of fruit puree over just about anything—oatmeal, toast or directly in the mouth—at least sounds more fun. Noshi designed the paint tubes ($5.99) of strawberry, peach and blueberry (no added sugar or salt) to inspire mini-foodies to play with and eat their food.
lunchbox Yumbox
The bento-style design of Yumbox is like a cheat sheet for packing lunch. Look at the dividers and think about how to fill it: narrow slices of cheese or a few scoops of guacamole in the dip well. The main meal, like dinner leftovers, fits in the larger compartment, and sliced fruit, carrot sticks, a side salad or something sweet can fill the additional two compartments. Trays come in four different configurations (pictured: Tapas, $32) because reverse engineering a meal could be the inspiration needed to get out of that turkey sandwich rut.
food container Stasher
Sure, there’s a cult of people who swear reusing Ziploc bags is safe, but for everyone else, there’s Stasher. These silicon bags are resealable and reusable—tested for more than 3,000 uses—and one bag can last from kindergarten through high school. There are two different shapes, a longer one good for snacks and a classic square for sandwiches ($11.99), plus plenty of colors and designs. Though safe for the freezer, microwave, dishwasher and sous vide, Stasher bags can also hold school supplies.
lunchbox ECOlunchbox
Stainless steel and safe for the dishwasher and oven (though not the microwave), these bento cups come in sizes small enough (seal cup mini, $9.99) to hold a serving of hummus and large enough (seal cup XL, $17.99) for a loaded salad. The online store sells many of the containers in bundles ($31-$50) with options for a carryall like the Furoshiki ECOlunchwrap ($16) that, with the Japanese-inspired art of knotting and folding, turns a towel into a tote.

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